Karuna Banerjee () (25 December 1919 – 13 November 2001) was a Bengali actress best known for her role in Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959) as the long suffering mother, Sarbajaya. She was nominated for Best Actress at the 1959 BAFTA Awards for her performance in Aparajito (1956), the second part of The Apu Trilogy. She appeared in a number of other films after that, including Ray's Devi (1960) and Kanchenjungha (1962). Early life She graduated from the Jogamaya Devi College, an affiliated women's college of the University of Calcutta. Acting career Banerjee's acting career expanded over more than two decades in Bengali cinema and theatre. She is best known for her memorable performance as Sarbajaya, the mother in the first two parts of Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy: Pather Panchali (1955) and Aparajito (1956). Her performance in the latter earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 1959 BAFTA Awards. She acted in a few more films, including two more by Ray, two by Mrinal Sen, and one by Ritwik Ghatak that was never officially released. Filmography Pather Panchali (1955), directed by Satyajit Ray Aparajito (1956), directed by Satyajit Ray Headmaster (1959), directed by Agragami Shubha Bibaha (1959), directed by Sombhu Mitra and Amit Maitra Kato Ajanare (1959), directed by Ritwik Ghatak Devi (1960), directed by Satyajit Ray Kanchenjungha (1962), directed by Satyajit Ray To Light a Candle, directed by Shanti P. Chowdhury Interview (1971), directed by Mrinal Sen References Further reading Satyajit Ray, the filmmaker, the book of the films, The Apu Trilogy () Karuna Banerjee's collection of writings were published as a book, entitled An Actress in Her Time (A Celluloid Chapter Persona Series) in English and in Bengali. Sarbajaya: Selected Writings of Karuna Banerjee () External links সর্বংসহা, সর্বজয়া করুণা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় Anandabazar Page from Lovefilm.com Actresses in Bengali cinema 20th-century Bengalis 21st-century Bengalis 20th-century Indian actresses Bengali actresses 1919 births 2001 deaths Jogamaya Devi College alumni University of Calcutta alumni Indian film actresses